


my heart has wings, and i can fly

by fiveainley_ohmy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel Gets His Wings Back (Supernatural), Castiel Lives (Supernatural), Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Episode: s15e18 Despair - Castiel's Confession Scene, Fix-It, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29788602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiveainley_ohmy/pseuds/fiveainley_ohmy
Summary: In which Dean tells Cas how he feels and the Empty doesn’t eat Cas.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 4
Kudos: 65





	my heart has wings, and i can fly

“...I cared about Sam, I cared about Jack...but I cared about the whole world because of _you_. You changed me, Dean.”

The door pounded threateningly, but Cas only had eyes for Dean, his greener than green eyes filling up with realization, dread, despair.

“Why does this sound like a goodbye,” the hunter asked in a hoarse whisper.

Cas just smiled resolutely. “Because it is.”

Dean’s eyes filled with tears. 

The angel exhaled, feeling all the tension he’d been clinging onto for over a decade dissipate at last.

“ _I love you._ ”

Dean shook his head slightly, lips pressed firmly together, swallowing hard, but it was too late. The words were already out. Cas smiled proudly, feeling more at peace than he ever had in the whole of his existence. His love had set him free. It was over.

But then Dean did something the angel _never_ expected.

“I love you too.”

Cas froze. “You...what did you say?” he whispered.

A tear rolled down Dean’s cheek. “I _love_ you,” he choked out, staring at the gloomy concrete floor. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can freaking _remember_ , Cas. I’ve wanted to say it for so long but I was too...I didn’t think you could feel...I mean, if you’re saying you love me like how I _think_ you’re saying it then...yes, I love you too. I’ve always loved you, Cas,” Dean whispered, finally looking up at him..

Cas felt like the breath had been knocked out of him. Never in his wildest _dreams_ had he imagined...

Suddenly, he felt warmth spread within him, starting in his stomach and growing outward till his toes and fingertips tingled with it.

“Cas?” Dean whispered, taking a step back in concern. “Your eyes...they’re-”

Cas already knew. They must be glowing. His whole vessel was on fire as his _grace_ exploded inside him, expanding till it was bigger and more powerful than it ever had been before. His angelic strength returned to him tenfold, and he felt something large and familiar uncurl from his shoulder blades. His _wings_. _His wings had grown back._

It was impossible, but somehow, Dean’s love for him had caused his grace to return.

Suddenly behind Dean, the wall erupted in a geyser of black goo. At the same time, Billie burst through the door, scythe clenched in her hands.

“Cas,” Dean said nervously, gaze darting between both threats.

Cas stepped forward, gripping Dean’s shoulder, like he had all those years ago in Hell, and smiled. “Don’t worry, beloved,” he whispered. “ _Neither_ of us are dying here.”

He pulled a dumbfounded Dean into a tight embrace and used his newly returned wings to fly them both out of there, disappearing just as the Empty reached out its inky black tendril, just as Billie swung her scythe, leaving them to deal with each other.

They reappeared somewhere in a field, several miles from Lebanon and the bunker, and Cas loosened his grip on Dean, though not letting him go entirely. Dean looked around in confusion. “What? How did-...did you _fly_ us here?”

“I did.”

“But...” Dean looked at Cas’s shoulders as if trying to make out his wings. “Your grace. I thought it was kaput-sky?”

Cas laughed gently. “It was. But in that moment, when you told me you loved me...”

Dean blushed, looking away.

“...suddenly I felt more powerful than ever. Your love made my grace grow back again, Dean.” Cas touched Dean’s cheek. “You’re a miracle.”

Dean’s breath hitched. “Cas...” he whispered.

Cas could feel the human’s heart pounding against his chest and felt just the tiniest bit smug. _He_ did that. He made Dean Winchester’s heart race.

But he still had to be sure. “Tell me you meant it,” Cas said softly, gazing into his eyes. “Tell me you love me.”

Dean pursed his lips shyly and nodded. “I do...I love you, Cas. I love you so goddamn much-”

Cas surged forward and kissed him. Dean’s arms around his waist tightened to pull him in closer as their lips met over and over, desperately trying to make up for all the time they’d wasted keeping the same secret.

“I love you,” Cas whispered in between kisses. Now that he’d said it once, he couldn’t stop. “I love you, I love you, I love you...”

“ _Ahem._ I hate to break up this _happiest_ of moments, but...”

Cas and Dean abruptly pulled apart to see a familiar figure in a suit standing there several yards away staring at them impatiently.

“ _You?_ ” Dean said, staring at Uriel in bewilderment. “Didn’t you die, like, a _long_ time ago?”

“That’s not Uriel,” Cas growled, shielding Dean with his body. “You followed us from the bunker.”

Uriel/The Empty hummed bemusedly. “We had a deal, Castiel. I leave the child alone, I get _you_ when you’ve experienced your happiest moment. And you’re pretty damn happy in Green Eyes’s arms over there.”

“What, didn’t Billie fill you up enough when you ate her? Now you gotta come after Cas for dessert? Well, too bad. _You can’t have him_ ,” Dean snarled, sliding protectively in front of the angel. “You’re gonna have to go through me first!”

“No!” Cas cried, gripping his arm.

Uriel/The Empty laughed. “Isn’t that sweet. Your little guard dog thinks it can take me on. If you like, I can always just go and find the boy and take him instead. He won’t be hard to find on a planet this barren.”

Castiel stepped around Dean. “I haven’t forgotten our deal. You want to take me away, I’m ready.”

“Cas!” Dean protested.

“Dean, Jack is my _son_. You of all people should understand laying down your life for your family.”

Dean swallowed and squeezed Cas’s hand hard. “But _you’re_ my family too, Cas.”

Cas exhaled ruefully, head falling to the side as he stared into Dean’s eyes.

“ _Uuuuugh_ , you two are so sweet, it’s nauseating,” the Empty said, rolling its eyes.

Dean glowered at the entity, still holding Cas’s hand. “If you take him away, I will never stop until I find a way to take him back from you. We got him back once, we’ll do it again.”

“The only reason you got him back in the first place is because I let him go,” the Empty said flippantly. “And I doubt he’ll be able to wake up and annoy me again now that your little Antichrist has lost all his angelic powers.”

“But when Jack exploded inside you, it roused all the angels and demons you’ve swallowed, hasn’t it?” Cas said. “Right now it’s chaos inside you. But all those spirits are weak, confused. It’s possible you can send them back to sleep. But I’ve regained all my power and then some. I won’t be so easy to subdue this time. If you swallow me, I will organize all those spirits against you so that you’ll never know peace or quiet again. And that along with the Winchesters trying to penetrate you from the outside to rescue me, that’s a lot of lost sleep for you. So ask yourself...do you _really_ want to take me?”

The Empty twisted Uriel’s face into a look of rage. “Fine. _Fine!_ You’re more trouble than you’re worth. The deal’s off. I’ll get you eventually, and then, oh, the _torture_ I’ll put you through. It will be _worth it_ to wake up for that. Besides...” The Empty turned its spiteful sneer to Dean. “This human is going to age and die before your very eyes. And I can’t wait to enjoy the anguish you’ll suffer as you watch your true love waste away and you can do _nothing_ to save him. Now if you’ll excuse me...” The Empty smoothed down its suit jacket. “I’ve other business to attend to.”

Uriel’s form melted into black goo and disappeared into the ground.

Cas and Dean breathed sighs of relief and threw their arms around each other, hugging tightly. “‘Mean it, Cas,” Dean muttered against Cas’s neck. “I’ve already lost you too many damn times. M’not lettin’ you go this time.”

“I’m staying, Dean, for as long as you want me.”

“Does forever sound okay?”

Cas laughed, nuzzling Dean’s hair. “That sounds wonderful.”

Suddenly there was a buzz from Dean’s pocket between them. “Oh Jesus, Sam! I totally forgot about everything else!” Dean gasped, grabbing his phone. He touched the screen and brought it to his ear. “Sam, Billie’s been taken care of. We-... _what?_ Chuck...oh my g-...we’ll be right there.” Dean hung up and looked at Cas. “Chuck wiped out everyone on Earth. I mean _everyone._ All the animals too.”

Cas set his jaw solemnly. “We’ll fix this too, Dean. The four of us can accomplish anything together.”

“Yeah.” Dean squeezed Cas’s shoulder. “Stop Chuck. Save the world. And then...you and me are going on a long vacation, _alone_.”

Cas smiled, and then the two of them disappeared to join the others.


End file.
